So I figured it was about time for my once a month, “I’m still alive” post. I’ll never know how the time manages to get away from me, but so it is. Hurricane Dolly has blessed us with a much needed rainy day so the girls and I are having a Harry Potter marathon today and I had the perfect excuse to sit down and write a post.

We’ve been staying busy and summer is flying by as usual. I finished and seamed my Weasley sweater and tossed it into the wash (hoo boy I love the washable yarns) so it’s even softer than you can possibly imagine. Of course it sheds a great deal after it’s first bath, but considering how soft it is a little initial shedding isn’t likely to put me off this lovely stuff. The earthy brown looks grey next to my cocoa colored chaise, but regardless I love the sweater. Of course Ladybug wants one too, so sometime soon I imagine I’ll be casting on for the next one in Gryffindor crimson and gold. I think Cupcake will be ready for hers in another year or two as well.

I’ve also started the next pair of socks in my queue. I found this shocking pink yarn on Etsy called pinky swear and knew at once that the girls needed matching socks. So sisterly y’know?

I am such a sucker for the names of sock yarn. Of course I look at colors first, but I will totally buy a yarn in not my fave colors if the name inspires me. I must be a nut that way, but it’s probably my fave thing about sock yarns.

The socks I find are the perfect in-between-projects project. They were intended for Christmas, but the girls both discovered the yarn and are positively itching to get their hands on the socks so I doubt they’ll ever make it to the wrapping stage. Eager little tootsies, no?

Also I wanted to mention that the first issue of Knotions magazine will premiere on August 4th, and you’ll be able to find one of my designs in its pages. It is the first of four in a series based on the classic elements Earth, Air, Water and Fire. You’ll be able to get the first design free from Knotions and each new design will be released with the upcoming season and will be available here in my shop and through my retailers.

…and on that note I’ve cast on for the next design in the series which will be available this winter. It is using Rowan’s Kidsilk Night which I find utterly beautiful.

Last but not least, I’m really excited about my latest design and wanted to give you all a preview. Curvy is a figure hugging top worked in a repeating cable rib. The cables are elongated so as not to add any extra bulk to your frame (good for us fluffy gals). It is knit entirely in the round from the bottom up and would be great for a beginning knitter’s first sweater or cabling attempt. The yarn used in the project is Zen Yarn Garden’s Gemilicious Worsted which was a joy to knit with. The color was gorgeous and saturated but never bled or stained my hands or needles which gives it 4 stars in my opinion, and the semi solid nature of the colors really made the cables stand out.

I’m also hoping to get some feedbackfrom you all. My goal has always been to offer a wide range of sizes, but for this pattern I will be going a step further. I wanted to explore offering the same wide range of sizes, but with more steps in between so Curvy is sized in eighteen different sizes ranging from 28-62 inches (bust measurement) and is easily customized to give you a perfect fit. I really look forward to your opinions about the sizing as it is something I’d like to offer in future patterns. Curvy should be in the store in the next couple of weeks and Roxanne will be offering Curvy pattern kits exclusively at Zen Yarn Garden.

The lull in designing while I wait for yarns to arrive has been good for a quick project or two. I’ve gotten one pair of Christmas socks done, but no pictures until after Christmas. I am quite addicted to the two at once toe up method, and what they say about the addiction factor of sock yarn is too true. I’ve been stashing like they are going to quit making the stuff-mostly indie lines, and all very pretty.

So I finally cast on for my Harry Potter Weasley sweater a week or so back. I’ve been coveting one since I first saw them in the movies and you can’t very well be a dedicated Potter-ite and a knitter and not have one. I liberated some of my stash of Shokay Shambala for the project since the sweater is all about coziness. I decided against the dark and tweedy background in the films in favor of the heathered Earth color (which looks oddly grey in photos) with a Cranberry letter. I was really torn on the initials. I mean Harry is Harry after all, but Ron has had me from the beginning, and I do have something of a thing for the red heads y’know. After much deliberation I decided on the obligatory ‘H’ since I’ll probably tackle Ron’s ‘R’ raglan the next chance I get. I’ve only got about a third of the second sleeve, the collar, and side seams to finish.

How do you like my little house elf? I can’t keep her out of the knitting baskets!

It is getting HOT where we’re at but I’m still knitting. My project with the gorgeous Gemilicious Worsted in well underway and I’m hopeful it will be available for sale in mid to late July. That’s the plan anyway. We’ll all just have to wait ans see if fate decides to cooperate or not.

I’m not going to show you everything but I will give a sneak peek as to the progress of the project. I love the way the yarn and the cables are working together so I’m really excited to get this one done.

Swimming lessons are underway for Ladybug who is a little fish already and is loving her swim class. I have gotten a few odd stares and some curious comments from other parents and grandparents either because I’m knitting outdoor in the blazing sun or because I am knitting at all. Unsure of which but also amazingly unconcerned.

And for completing my first whole pair of socks, I got the sweetest thing in the mail from my dear friend Samm who has been cheering me on to  slay the sock monster. It is gorgeous Cherry Tree Hill in Old Rose and it is mine, mine mine!  Who would’ve known that knitting socks would come along with so many neat surprises. Thank you Samm! Hugs!

I don’t know what it is about my genetic makeup but I never seem to get sick during the fall or winter, but ever since I was a kid I always seem to catch a spring or summer cold. I have been curled up on my couch for the past week with nary a needle in sight. The only thing I was up to doing other than tending to the kiddos was re-reading the Harry Potters so at least my time wasn’t wasted. Before I started feeling like I’d been hit by a bus full of snot I did get most of the second sock done. I managed to finish them up night before last. Somehow I made one a bit larger than the other but considering I’ve conquered the sock monster I am okay with that. I really dig the whole toe up thing and short row heels seem easy enough. I will confess that I think I would prefer really plain patterns. The sock yarn out there is so pretty it hardly needs much in the way of embellishment and I think socks make excellent TV knitting. I’m hoping to find a handful of really great plain-ish patterns to do over and over as I think My stash is about to get an infusion of sock yarn which it has heretofore been lacking. Now if I can master 2 at once I’ll be golden.

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned a neighbor’s run in with one of the legless nasties that call my part of Texas home? Well, yesterday we took an excursion to purchase yarn for Ladybug. She mentioned that she was tired of knitting with her ever faithful ball of pink yarn and wanted to make a scarf. She has a bit of difficulty with the first stitch in every row (not sure why exactly) so I mentioned that she might like to knit a scarf in the round. She quickly decided that she was in need of the 1st year version of the Hogwarts scarf in Gryffindor colors so we went stash diving. I had the necessary crimson but we were without the gold which brings me back to our outing. She found her yarn and I came home with a few with a few new wind chimes for the house. I go outside with a step ladder and hooks to hang the chimes and I am just about to walk to the back of my flowerbed where I would have brushed by my camellia bush when I happened to see this:

It took me a full body shiver and all of 3 seconds to throw it in reverse and take my butt back inside where I got these pictures from my den window. Sicko that I am, I continued to watch that nasty creature until I went to bed. It was still in it’s perch well after midnight. This morning it was gone. So, I really don’t like snakes but up until now I have been really thinking the threat was on the ground. After a bit of internet research I’m pretty sure that thing was a rat snake though most people around here call them chicken snakes. Fortunately not venomous but creepy nonetheless.

Sorry for the delay in posting the contest results! My phone and wireless internet went down Friday afternoon and I’ve just now gotten reconnected. I’m wading through an inbox full of emails so if you are waiting on a response from me I promise I will get back to you as soon as I can.

It was a difficult decision to pick just one name from all of your suggestions, and I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate your willingness to pitch in. The dress came out just as I pictured! That part is really exciting to me because I am such a visual thinker. My ideas are like moving pictures in my mind that are just as clear as if they were real. Everything turned out just as I expected it would…well almost.

I’m sure I have mentioned how difficult it is to take Cupcake’s picture. Mostly because she can be a very serious child but also because she tends to gravitate toward electronics of ANY kind which means that I really have to move quick to keep far enough away from her to get a decent shot. Well now that Ladybug is a bit older she is such a tremendous help with little sister. Somehow she and I were able to get some really good shots of Cupcake in the dress.

We were on our way in and Ladybug says to me, “Mom, why didn’t you take pictures with me? I really like that dress you knit too.” I looked at her standing there all sad eyes and it hit me like a bolt. I looked at the dress eyeing the width of the bodice and then glancing at my lithe 5 year old. I laid Cupcake down for her nap while Ladybug grabbed another memory card and back out we went.

To my surprise and very great pleasure we discovered that Blithe can actually be worn two ways. For infants up to toddlers the dress works best as it was designed-a pretty sun dress, but for big sister or maybe a few years down the road when the length has made Blithe way too flirty for Daddy’s approval just toss it on as a babydoll top over a pair of blue jeans and you have instant Boho chic for the older diva. I am planning to offer the pattern with a few different little tricks for customizing, but I am still toying with what sizes will be offered. If you have input on the subject, now is your chance to speak up. Give me a shout out so I can do my best to accommodate.

And as for prizes…

KateK won our grand prize and will receive a dress kit as soon as the pattern is ready.

The other 3 winners chosen at random are: Lin, Diana and Jackie, and I am also including Ribrummie who suggested a version of the name Blithe. I will get with you guys via email and will get the patterns out to you as soon as they have been edited and are all pretty! Congratulations!

I have been so excited about starting my first socks again. I want to succeed so badly I can just taste it. I’m starting to dream about socks again like I did in the beginning. Tall socks, small socks, striped socks, and solid ones, toe socks and those socks with different colored heels and toes. Oh the places I can go with all my lovely socks! and think of all that gorgeous sock yarn that is dying to live with me. That opens up whole new stashing opportunities that boggle the mind.

With my other failures I’d kinda’ given myself this last chance to redeem some sock glory so I studied patterns for ages trying to decide which talented sock designer would be the one to guide me through the valley of the shadow of sockdom. Cookie A’s and her Twinkle Toes pattern was the forerunner mostly because Cookie seems to be in the know of some serious sock secrets but also because this pattern is knit in heavier gauge yarn (can you say Socks for Dummies?) and is supposedly super beginner friendly. I pulled out my 2 different colors of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Heavyweight. I’m not taking any chances this time. There will be no substitutions or sub-par yarns to befoul my progress (see how committed I am) .

So I picked the Backstabber colorway which is really gorgeous. All fuchsias and purples and deep hot pinks–very girly and sassy (and somehow a little reminiscent of high school…bitchy much). It’s so pretty I can tell right now that it isn’t going to give me abandonment issues. So I read through the pattern and got started. Despite 5 or 6 phone calls which interrupted the progress of my figure 8 cast on (which was a first for me) I managed in the space of the afternoon to get all the way past the heel. Whoooooooo-hooooooo. Are you proud my sock knitting friends? Are you squealing right now? Yeah, well me too!

I’ve had to put it down because I have some other things that have needed doing but every time I walk past it I can hear it whisper to me in a very sexy voice, “Jaaaaaaaacque, come here sweet thing. Pick me up…You know you want to.” I think the madness that seems to drive the rest of the sock-able world has found a new victim.

And since Friday’s used to be for fiber and still should IMHO here is some eye candy for you (I’d call it pair #2 but don’t want to jinx myself-yeah I’m superstitious):

More socks that rock in color Jailhouse Rock!

Posted by Jacque

Since I’ve just wrapped up a few projects it was time to sit down with my calendar and reevaluate my plan; see what’s up next, is anything due, that sort of thing and yes In case you were wondering I am that girl. You know, the one who nerotically plans every last detail and then worries over getting the details just so. Yea…I’d deny it if I could , but well, no one would believe me. It’s that bad.

First thing on my list was to wind some yarn that I have been literally dying to get my hands on . I have something lovely planned with Roxanne of Zen Yarn Garden with some super gorgeous yarn she sent me. Roxanne and I are both big fans of the color red so I’ll be using her Gemilicious Worsted in a colorway called Rubies which is just really beautiful. I just love the color so I have really been looking forward to getting started on the project.

So as quietly as I can I start to assemble my swift. When I first began knitting I had this lamp which was a huge hideaous monstrosity and destined for Goodwill until I realized what a perfect swift it made. Always one for recycling I decided to hang onto the heavy sucker until I got tired of lugging it out every time I needed to wind yarn. I eventually got myself a Beka swift, but I don’t keep assembled because it’s a bit awkward unless you have free table space and don’t mind that it doesn’t lend itself to particularly any style of decor (I fail on both counts).

So despite the seriously low decibel level of screwing a few sticks together my girls come running into the office. I think they must have spidey sense when it comes to yarn and the like . No really. They can be in the back of the house playing happily together and any yarn related activity other than the quietest knitting will bring them forth to see what they can see. Ladybug is content to ask what I’m up to before returning to her dress up chest but Cupcake can’t seem to resist dipping into the proverbial kool-aid.

As you can see, it didn’t take long to acquire a helper (Look below for cute overload). Evidently yarn winding in mom’s office trumpsplaying dress up with Ladybug. And this child of mind doesn’t just poke at the yarn. She climbs up on the chaise and makes friends with it. She squeezes, huffs, smells, and even rubs it against her face which makes me think I must be doing something right. She seemed to approve of the yarn and it’s softness so if that isn’t an endorsement to go and see what is in Roxanne’s shop then I don’t know what is.

I also wound some of the Socks that Rock Heavyweight that I ordered some time back. It told me that it wants to be Cookie A’s Twinkle Toes socks and I’m crossing my fingers that the 3rd time will be the charm. I really love the color, Backstabber for interested parties. I’ve got delicious sock yarn and a great pattern by a fabulous designer so if I cannot get through a full pair of socks this time I think I’m going to have to give up on the whole thing.

If you haven’t by now guessed I am a BIG fan of Tim Burton and the endearing characters he brings to life. If you ask me there is nothing better than spending a rainy day curled up with my knitting while watching one of his films.

This project is a combination that lies somewhere between sweater sleeves and fingerless mitts that provided me with the perfect opportunity to do some simple mosaic knitting ( and you can’t miss how utterly Burton the stripes are).

They are easy enough for a beginner and quick enough to finish in a weekend and available in a range of sizes.

Click here for Details

I wanted to extend a big thank you to everyone who commented and left suggestions for the name of the sun dress. There are some really great ideas there to choose from! The dress is finished and is blocking as we speak so I’m hoping to get a few photos of it tomorrow and then I’ll post them here in a few days along with the winner. Whoever picked the winning name will receive from me a kit complete with yarn and pattern to make the sun dress. As a thank you to those of you who took the time to comment I’m also choosing at random 3 people who will receive a complimentary download of the sun dress pattern .

This morning before I rolled out of bed it was just a little chilly, which is a bit weird considering we’ve been in shorts since maybe late January. Well it has turned into a gorgeous sunshine-y day and I’m thinking that my spring cleaning needs to extend out to the porch and backyard so I can do some outdoor knitting. It just sounds nice. On the other hand, I only have about couple of months before the heat starts coming on strong in which case I won’t even think about leaving my cool house. I will sit on the chaise in my office taking in the view, watching the hummingbirds at the feeders and sipping ice tea while the air conditioning keeps me at a nice 70 degrees.

Aside from swimming I’m not much of a fan of summer. I don’t crave sunbathing, the thought of being swarmed by mosquitoes the size of birds makes me ill, and living in the country means that snakes are known to hang out around the house. It isn’t quite summer and I’m sad to say that we’ve already seen several of the slithering fiends around the property including water moccasins and coral snakes, oh and a chicken snake that fell from the top of a screen door EEP! It didn’t happen to me- I think we all know that would have been the end of my little bloggy adventure. Can you imagine the article in the paper if that were to happen to me? Knit blogger/designer shites herself to death when creepy non-poisonous snake falls at her feet! Jeebus, just thinking about it gives me chills.

So aside from being on snake watch I’ve started a new project that I am quite happy to be able to blog about. I’m sure by now that you have noticed that I quite like yak fiber for knitting and have done a few designs with Shokay in their pure yak yarn Shambala. Well, now they have added a spring summer yarn to their line called Orient. It is a 75% yak 25% bamboo blend that is available in sport weight. The gauge on the yarn calls for 7.5 sts/inch on US5 needles, but after swatching I got 5.75-6 sts/inch on US5’s and US4’s respectively. It has 245 yards per skein and comes in I think 10 colors though I have only seen 3 in person. It is just as lovely and soft as the shambala though much lighter. Oh and it too is machine washable. I’m not sure when it is going to be available but I understand it will be a bit more affordable than the Shambala line.

Some time back I sketched a sundress (Sunny for lack something creative) that I wanted to do in a nice cheery yellow yarn so when I saw the Sunburst color on the color cards for Orient I was happy. The yellow isn’t that annoyingly bright crayon yellow either–it’s mellow and kind of reminds me of squash. I knew the bamboo and the weight would make for a nice spring time dress while the yak would keep things soft, and can I just say Hoo-rah for machine washability. Mind you I’ll probably still handwash this just because that is how I roll with my handknits, but at least I won’t be freaked that I’m going to ruin it the whole time.

The dress will be sized for 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 months so machine washability is key for some of you out there. So I wound a few skeins into cakes and was all jazeed about getting started but I cannot find my size 4 needles in the 16″ length. Now since I have already cleaned out and arranged for the year it is a pretty good bet that they have disappeared for good. Considering the fact that I know neither my mom and daughter have them and I haven’t seen my only knitting friend in so long I’m just ashamed (plus I know I’ve seen them since we last got together) so they have to be lost. So I drudged up my trusty bamboo size 4’s and started on the bodice. Only a bit more to go and I can switch to larger circs and begin the skirt. I’m not normally against DPNs but for some reason they are driving me crazy on this project. If I manage not to bail on my knitting time as I have the past two nights I may be able to progress to circs tonight and get this little dress going.

Oh and if you guys can come up with a more creative name than Sunny for this little dress I might be willing to share some yummy stash and prizes. So let’s go ahead and officially call this a contest. You know the rules: post a comment with your name suggestion then post on your blog (if you have one) about the contest. For every post you were mentioned in you get entered again. Winners to be picked on Tuesday the 6th. Good luck.

To clarify, you can win just for commenting or of course if you pick a doozy of a name you get a special prize! :Let’ say the number of prizes will depend on comments so the more the merrier!

BTW, one of my fave knit bloggers and friends Cass is having a contest!